Video: Rearranging clips in the Timeline

I am now going to show you a few ways to rearrange clips in the timeline. If we just simply click-and-drag this clip over, assuming that we want to trade places of these two clips. That's our end objective, just kind of how we did in the last movie. If I drag this over and just let go, I'll be performing an overlay edit. I'm going to move this over. I'm going to replace whatever was there. I don't want to do that. I'm going to hit Command+Z to undo that. Now I am going to drag this over and what we are going to have to do here is use keyboard shortcuts to make this happen.

In Premiere Pro CS5 Essential Training, author Chad Perkins shows not only how to edit video with Premiere Pro, but he also explains how to use video to tell compelling stories. This course covers the Premiere Pro workflow from a high level, providing a background on how projects go from start to finish before diving into basic clip adjustments, such as color correcting scenes for more dramatic impact, applying transitions effectively, and slowing down and speeding up clip playback. The course includes creative techniques, such as making titles and removing a green screen background from a shot. Exercise files are included with the course.

Rearranging clips in the Timeline

I am now going to show you a few ways to rearrange clips in the timeline.If we just simply click-and-drag this clip over, assuming that we want totrade places of these two clips. That's our end objective, just kind of how we did in the last movie.If I drag this over and just let go, I'll be performing an overlay edit.I'm going to move this over.I'm going to replace whatever was there.I don't want to do that.I'm going to hit Command+Z to undo that.Now I am going to drag this over and what we are going to have to do here is usekeyboard shortcuts to make this happen.

So I'm going to hold down the Command key, and you hold down the Ctrl key on the PC by the way.Now when you do you get these little right facing arrows here and what's goingto happen when I let go over the mouse is this going to move everything over.It's kind of like an Insert edit where it cuts everything and scoots everythingdown the line here and nothing is replaced, and now we have this gap over hereand we have these gaps down here and this footage over here was segmented.That's not we want either.I am going to hit Command+Z to undo that.

What we want to do instead is click-and-drag on this clip.We want to drag it to the end so the beginning of the clip that we are moving isat the end of the B-roll Standing Around clip.Now we want to hold down the Command key, the Ctrl key on the PC like we didjust a moment ago, but we also want to add to that the Option key or the Alt key on the PC.And you should get one right facing arrow on the left side of the clip and youshould also have a cursor that looks like this.The arrow with the spinny loop thing here.

So we are basically dragging and putting this clip at the end of the other clipand when we let go, it will automatically re-order those clips.Now in all honesty those keyboard shortcuts are great but there is no sin reallyin simply using other video tracks temporarily to kind of move things around.I kind of use these other tracks sometimes that's kind of like a poster board whereI'm moving pieces around and seeing how things play out.It's not technically what you're supposed to do.But still I find that works for me.

So I guess the moral of the story is if none of these keyboard shortcuts workfor you then find something that does.But it's good just to be aware that there are other tools and techniques outthere that you can use.

Q: When attempting to open the project exercise files into Premiere Pro CS5, an error message appears:

This project contained a sequence that could not be opened. No sequence preview preset file codec could be associated with this sequence type.

What could be causing the error, and how can the files be opened?

A: There are a few possible explanations.

First, if the projects are not importing correctly, the error could be with the codecs being used on a particular machine. Check to make sure the Video Previews codec setting matches the file type being used.

Another possible issue could stem from using the trial version of Premiere CS5. Some codecs for encoding MPEG formats are available only with the full version of Premiere CS5.

Additionally, the "Video Previews" codec setting for the Custom Sequence Presets could cause the issue if it is defaulting to “I-Frame Only MPEG”. Changing the setting to Microsoft AVI might fix the problem.

Lastly, if the projects are not importing into Premiere, try importing the video footage by itself, rather than the entire project file.

Q: How does one perform internal edits within a piece of video in Adobe Premiere? For example, if I have a single clip of video, comprised of multiple segments strung together, how would I go about removing gaps and/or cleaning up each segment and then assembling the clips in a desired order? Most tutorials emphasize laying down multiple clips on the Sceneline or Timeline, but not editing one clip of video.

A: To remove footage from a single video clip:

Drag the Current Time Indicator (CTI) to the first frame of the segment to be deleted, click the Split Clip button in the Monitor panel, drag the CTI to the last frame of the segment to be deleted, and then click the Split Clip button again.

Delete the segment by clicking on the clip and either choosing Edit > Delete And Close Gap, or pressing the Delete or Backspace key. That will remove the segment and the rest of the projectwill slide over to the left to fill the gap.

Q: I can't view the exercise files.

A: Most of the video clips in the training were encoded using H.264. If you are on a PC, you may need to download the latest version of the free
QuickTime player from quicktime.com. Be sure to install QuickTime with your Adobe applications closed. QuickTime installs a series of codecs on your
machine, and many Adobe apps require QuickTime components to function properly.

Q: Why are many of the video files H.264 if some users must download additional components to view them?

A: This is one of the most common video formats in the world right now, certainly for distribution. This is because it is currently the most optimal
way to provide high quality video at the low files sizes that we need to be able to distribute these assets online. Even though it may require an extra
download for some users, this is the best way to be able to get you the highest quality exercise files. There isn't another video standard that is
cross platform that is free and that works as well as H.264.

Q: What is the most effective way to import a JPEG into Premiere Pro (i.e. best quality resolution, best playback speed)? When I import a photo as a JPEG and add it to a sequence, only a very small part of my photo is shown, because of the high resolution of these photos. Should they be resized in Photoshop first? Will changing it using effects provide the quality I am looking for?

A: Images can be scaled down using the Scale Transform in the Effect Controls panel as explained in the training. You can also scale down the images in Photoshop to match the size of your sequence in Premiere. But I prefer to use the Scale Transform as it gives me more flexibility and allows me to "zoom in" (aka scale up) photos without loss in quality. You'll probably want to make sure that the proportions of the image match the sequence though.

Q: Does Premiere Pro offer Z-axis editing like After Effects?

A: Premiere Pro does not offer 3D as After Effects does, but you can use the Basic 3D effect in Premiere to simulate that environment.

Q: The exercise files don't work for me. I get an error message stating the sequence(s) could not be loaded and it returns me to the Welcome screen. I am using the trial version of Premiere Pro and the correct codecs do not seem to be included.

A: All the required codecs are included in the trial version of Premiere. You just need to activate the trial with your Adobe ID. If you don't sign into Adobe, anything with MPEG compression will be unavailable. Signing resolves that issue and restores all MPEG-based support.

Q: I'm receiving the
following error message from Premiere Pro. "This project contained a
sequence that could not be opened. No sequence preview preset file or codec
could be associated with this sequence type." How do I resolve it?

Additionally, when I try
to create a project, I only have DV sequence presets available.

A: Solution 1:
Deactivate, and then reactivate Adobe Premiere Pro.

Launch Adobe Premiere Pro
by clicking the application icon. Do not attempt to load a project file.
Choose New Project, then
create a project. The settings you choose in this step are not important.

Launch Premiere Pro so that the Help menu is available.
Choose Help >
Deactivate. Then on the Deactivate, screen click the Deactivate button.
On Premiere Pro CC Choose
Help > Sign out ...Then sign back in.
Launch Adobe Premiere Pro as you did in Step 1.
On the Sign In Required
screen, click the Sign in button. If prompted, sign in with your Adobe ID. The
full list of sequence presets is reinitialized.
Open the project the
generated the error to ensure that it opens correctly. If you are still unable
to open your project, contact Adobe Technical Support.

Get ready to press the
Alt (Option) + Shift keys simultaneously.
Launch Adobe Premiere Pro
by clicking the application icon, and immediately press and hold the Alt
(Option) + Shift keys.
Continue to hold the Alt
(Option) + Shift keys down until you see the Welcome Screen.
Note: If the preferences
have been reset successfully, the Recent Projects area of the welcome screen
will be blank.
(Holding Alt (Option)
alone on launch will reset the preferences. Holding Shift alone will delete the
plugin cache.)

Q: When I tried to open the exercise files for this course, the following message popped up.

"This project was last used with Mercury Playback Engine GPU
Acceleration (CUDA), which is not available on this system. Mercury
Playback Engine Software only will be used?"

What do I have to do to solve the issue?

Luckily, there is no issue. This is how Premiere Pro operates. "Mercury Playback Engine Software only will be used" is an
indication that the machine that is being used does not have an
approved/fast enough graphics card. However, all the files and media for this course will work just fine.

You can read more about the system requirements for Premiere Pro here and here

Q: After loading a project from the exercise files for this course, the media appears "offline" and cannot be used. How do I fix this?

A: This issue occurs because the project was not created
in your copy of Premiere Pro, so your copy does not know where
to look for the asset files. To fix this, please see the video
"Relinking offline media."

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
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